It seems that the mystery about the Google Barge, anchored off San Francisco’s Treasure Island and its sister barge that was recently towed from Long Island, New York, to Portland, Maine, has possibly been solved.

They were first thought to be floating data centers, but now they are believed to be home to mobile modular containers.

Four stories high and welded together, these containers designed to showcase Google’s creations off its Google X labs. It seems that this is Google’s floating response to Apple’s alluring stores all over the country.

It is reported that the barge compounds will feature posh showrooms and a party deck loaded with an elite bar and special floor lighting.

There have been reports hinting the use of interchangeable 40-foot shipping containers that can be disassembled and carried anywhere, even to locations on land around the country. It is also reported that two additional barges are under construction and would be added to Google’s fleet.

This idea is as expected that brainchild of Google X, the secret facility in which all the futuristic ideas that Google showcases are nurtured. The Google Glass, the tech giant’s internet-net connected wearable device, was also engendered by Google X.

When the Coast Guard was asked to comment about the barges, they refused to answer any questions but it seems that the project is apparently on hold on basis of requirement of federal approval for its safety features.

A spokesperson for San Francisco supervisor Jane Kim, who represents Treasure Island, said she too would have “no comment.” Google also has refused comment.